In choosing a new name to go along with the new look of the newsletter, the Committee made a great choice in "VISIONS". In our professional lives, we are constantly challenged to not only react to issues that confront us, but to employ the vision necessary to anticipate what may lie ahead and initiate strategies that will best serve our organizations' needs.

Elsewhere in this month's newsletter, you will see an Executive Summary of this year's Strategic Plan for the Chapter. At the time the Plan was formulated, the Officers and Board of Trustees shared a vision of things we wanted to accomplish during the fiscal year. One goal involved encouraging more scheduled committee meetings. Although the use of electronic communications has proved an invaluable tool, the effectiveness of our Chapter is based on strength of the personal relationships that are formed . Having attended a number of meetings throughout the year, I have been able to observe the successful team-building and relationship-building that we hoped would occur. Even though it takes extra effort (especially during those January ice storms!!), I'm sure many members would agree that the personal relationships forged in these meetings will benefit our Chapter for years to come.

"The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it." - Thucydides (471 BC - 400 BC)

A Great Turnout at the Holiday Party
Once again, the Networking Committee did a fabulous job with the Awards Banquet & Holiday Party held at the HealthSpace Museum in Cleveland. Ellen Zizis (Cleveland Clinic) and Cindy Dormo (Children's Hospital Akron) chaired this year's event which featured an entertaining speaker from "N'awlins", a fun atmosphere and well-deserved recognition for the efforts and achievements of all the award recipients.

"Everyone takes the limits of his own vision for the limits of the world." - Arthur Schopenhauer (1788 - 1860)

Want to meet some really fun people?
As President-elect, Barry Franklin (Parma Hospital) will soon be enlisting many lucky members into positions on the various Chapter committees for the 2004-2005 year. If you haven't yet done so, sign up for a committee on the Chapter Survey Form, or contact any of the current Chairs listed on our website: www.neohfma.org. We've been very pleased to have welcomed a number of new members to our committees over the past year and look forward to your participation!

Dave Kilmer